Recent Posts

  • Mindset, Health & Writing Life

    SPA Girls Podcast – Episode 111 – 10 Health Hacks For Writers

    Staying healthy (and sane) during the holiday season can be a challenge for us all. This week Cheryl, Wendy and Shar talk about the health hacks they've found have helped to calm the chaos, stay sane (sort of) and keep our bodies and minds working well. It can be hard to put our self-care on the To Do List but it's vital. From mindfulness to stretching, gratitude to social media-strangling, we hope you'll find our healthy hacks helpful. As a wise commercial says, you're worth it.

  • Guest Interview, Mindset, Health & Writing Life

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP110 – Interview With Screenwriter Kathryn Burnett

    This week we were lucky enough to have a fantastic repeat guest - Kathryn Burnett, the well-known New Zealand playwright and screenwriter. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Kathryn is chocka full of useful knowledge on the craft of writing as well as the mental game of staying focused and being productive. Today she talked us through doing an end-of-year Writing Audit, as a prequel to setting our goals in the new year. We found it hugely helpful to answer the questions she posed, and to look back on our year in order to critically assess what went right, and what went wrong, and why. If you're wondering why on earth you'd want to look back in this way, just listen in... Kathryn also tells us how to use this kind of analysis to set us up for an awesome 2018! 

  • Marketing, Advertising & Sales

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP109 – Interview with Melissa Storm – What Your Readers Really Want

    This week our guest is the lovely Melissa Storm, who runs several author businesses, and is also a very successful indie author in her own right. Along with her training courses through the Author Engine, and editing, marketing and formatting services through Novel Publicity, Melissa also runs LitRing, an author promotions company that helps authors connect with readers. This year, through LitRing, she created a survey that asked readers what kind of books they were reading, what they wanted to see from authors, and whether they read mostly free or paid books, among other questions. With an extensive background in research, and in particular survey creation, Melissa was able to design, implement and analyse the data from over 10,000 readers, making it quite possibly the largest survey conducted by an independent author. She talks to us, among other things, about the insights we can take away from this amazing survey, and how we can use it in our own author careers.

  • Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP108 – Interview with Author Zoe Dawson

    For prolific author, Zoe Dawson, it's all about the happily ever afters. Zoe writes across several genres including romantic suspense, small town romance, new adult, urban fantasy and romantic comedy. We talk with Zoe about the challenges and rewards of writing across so many genres, how to juggle writing projects, reader expectations and the key that unlocked her being able to dramatically write faster (a book in three weeks!).

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP107 – Interview with Dave Chesson, King of Keywords

    This week we talk to bestselling self-published author Dave Chesson, otherwise known (mainly by the SPA Girls) as the King of Keywords.  He's the genius behind the Kindlepreneur.com blog, which provides loads of step-by-step information for self published authors, and he's also the creator of the fabulous app KDP Rocket, a tool you can use to do research into your next book topic, find keywords and categories for your current book, and to create a massive list of keywords for Amazon Ads. Among his many talents (which include being a nuclear engineer!!) Dave is a total self-confessed data geek, which means he loves diving into the analytics surrounding Amazon and selling books. Which was great for the SPA Girls, because he was happy to chat to us about keywords, categories and selling more books on Amazon. Yay!

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP106 – Pros and Cons of Kindle Unlimited

    This week we talk about Kindle Unlimited, or KU, as it's commonly known. KU is the exclusive readers' programme for Kindle customers on Amazon, which authors can join as long as they give exclusivity to Amazon. We discuss the pros and cons of going into the KU programme versus going wide on all the different platforms available to self published authors, plus we cover some of the different marketing tactics you might employ, and ways to effectively use the KU platform as an author. It's an information-packed episode, and if you've been wondering whether to join KU, or if you're trying to find ways to use it better, this is an episode you won't want to miss!

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP105 – Why YOU Should Do NaNoWriMo!

    This week we talk about NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. Every year in November, writers around the world challenge themselves to write 50,000 words in 30 days. For newer writers, it can seem like an insurmountable challenge, but even just joining in and being part of the NaNoWriMo environment can be inspiring and energising. It's been getting bigger and bigger every year, and for the writers who manage to 'win' (ie finish 50K) it's an amazing achievement. There are stories everywhere of people who've started their writing career with NaNoWriMo, going on to publish many books and have successful careers. So what's so great about NaNoWriMo? That's what we discuss in this episode of the SPA Girls Podcast - why it's been so successful, the aspects of it that we love, and why we think you should be doing it this year. (And don't miss our surprise challenge at the end of the episode!)

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing

    SPA Girls Podcast – Episode 104 – Ten Truths For New Self-Publishers

    This week we’re dealing out the “truthslaps” – in a loving way, of course. Wendy, Cher and Shar discuss ten truths for self-publishers that will help you navigate the choppy waters of a new indie author career. We want to be positive, but also realistic, so we are holding nothing back here. This is a rewarding (but tough) business and it requires patience and persistence. When you’re starting out you’re more than just a writer, you’re launching a small business with a pretty steep learning curve. Fortunately there’s a ton of help out there and here in the SPA is the best place to start!

  • Goal Setting, Planning & Productivity

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP103 – How To Find An Extra 30 Mins Writing Time Every Day

    This week we delved deep into our writing habits from the last ten years, and brainstormed all the ways that we've managed to squeeze an extra 30 minutes of writing out of our days. We're all busy - work, family, other commitments take our time. But even adding just an extra half hour of writing every day can make a big difference to our monthly totals. It's a trap writers often fall into - the belief that you need several hours of uninterrupted writing time to be able to produce anything worthwhile. It's just not true - even just a half hour can move you significantly forward in your manuscript. Here in the SPA we know that it's about regular, sustained writing over time.  This show is about being mindful, thinking about where you're spending your time every day, and looking for the loopholes where you're losing precious time you could be using for writing. :) 

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP102 – Maximising Book Sales At Christmas

    This week we tackle Christmas. Not literally. I mean we're not going after Santa or anything. No knocking him to the ground, and sitting on him til he gives us presents. That would be weird, right?  No, this week we're talking about what self-published authors should be doing over the Christmas period to promote their books to the hoards of eager Yuletide book buyers. It's a prime book buying time of year, and no one wants to miss out, right? In order to do the best research for our eager listeners, we talked to several other authors (in forums and people we know) for their advice on this topic, as well as using our own experiences. We even discovered a few tips that we didn't know about and are planning to use this year for ourselves!  If you've been wondering what you should do to promote your books this Christmas, you need to listen to this episode! 

  • Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Mindset, Health & Writing Life

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP101 – Interview with Katie Cross

    This week we talk to fantasy and young adult author Katie Cross about being a military wife, learning to be a nap-time authorpreneur, and making every moment count. She also gives us some amazing productivity tips for authors who are trying to squeeze their writing career into already busy lives. Katie impressed us right from the start of the interview when she talked about having done some writing before we got on the call. My paraphrasing summary of her words: "It was a choice between going on Facebook for ten minutes, or doing some writing. I decided to do some writing, and managed to get almost a thousand words done in that time." It's always good to be reminded of the things that we can achieve if we pay a little more attention to what we're doing, and how we choose to spend our time!  It's a great interview, Katie is hilarious, and we loved chatting to her. (And we're totally impressed by everything she's able to achieve in her day!)

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP100 – OMG I CAN’T BELIEVE WE MADE IT TO 100!

    This is a very special episode of the SPA Girls Podcast - our 100th episode! Who'd have thought when we nervously started our first episode that we'd make it this far?? We talk through everything we've learned about self publishing and writing over the last couple of years, give some of the top self publishing tips that we've gleaned, the advice we've been given by our guests, and what's in store for the future of the SPA Girls... Listen in for some laugh-out-loud moments as we celebrate the last 100 episodes of the SPA Girls Podcast. :) 

  • Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP99 – Interview with Arianna Golden

    This week we have authorpreneur and automation expert Arianna Golden. She's great at helping authors set up systems in their business, to amp up their productivity, and enhance their ability to write. She talked to us about some basic automations that are simple for authors to put in place, and gave us some fantastic tips on how to save time.  Automation doesn't have to be a scary word. As Arianna says, think of it as a tool, like a cheese grater. Used correctly, a grater can get you yummy grated cheese to go on top of a baked potato. It's only if you don't use it correctly that you might get into trouble... (I'm scared of graters, but not of automation, so I'm not sure where that leaves me...) It's another fascinating interview, and hopefully a good introduction to automation for people who don't know much about automation. Enjoy! 

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP98 – Top tips from RWA 2017

    This week Shar and Trudi interview Wendy and Cheryl about their trip to Orlando for the Romance Writers of America 2017 conference. They give tips on surviving a conference with 2,000 other people, plus talk about what they learned from meeting self publishing gurus like Mark Dawson, Roxanne St Claire, and Kristen Painter. They also give up the best writing tips, the most-secret self-publishing tricks, and how to network like a ninja just for you. This is another tip packed episode, where Shar and I attempt to get over our abandonment issues by pumping them for as much information as possible...! :) 

  • Guest Interview

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP97 – Interview with Shayne Silvers

    This week we interview best selling urban fantasy author Shayne Silvers, who gives us the inside scoop on his writing processes, his beta reading team, and how he markets his popular Nate Temple series. (Spoiler warning: Shayne works really hard, set everything up to work as it should and has amazing blurbs. ie it's no wonder he's doing so well!) We loved hearing his story, because he had two books up and nothing much was happening, and it was only when he realised that he had to take his writing seriously, and start treating it like a real business instead of a part time hobby, that things started to change for Shayne. These days he's doing rather well, thank you very much. :)  NOTE: His book Beast Master (number 5 in the series) was also recently nominated for a Dragon Award, which is fantastic news for Indie authors everywhere (and also Shayne)! If you've read the book and loved it, be sure to head over to the Dragon Con website and vote for him! 

  • Guest Interview

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP96 – Interview with Christie Craig

    This week we're live from the Romance Writers of New Zealand conference here in New Zealand, and we're talking with New York Times bestselling author Christie Craig. Christie writes humorous romantic suspense under her real name, and young adult paranormal under the pen name CC Hunter. She talks honestly with us about her writing process, the challenges she's had to overcome in her writing career, and gives some amazing craft advice for everyone. The one big take away from this interview? Never give up!  

  • Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP95 – Interview with Brian Meeks

    This week we have a fantastic interview with the delightful Brian Meeks, who talked to us about creating and making money on Amazon Ads. Brian recently published a book on how to master Amazon ads, and runs a very successful Facebook group on the same topic. He was kind enough to break it all down to the simple version for us, and run through the basics of creating and running a successful Amazon ad. If you've never been on the inside of an Amazon ad, this episode will give you enough information to get you clicking over to the Amazon Marketing Services website. If you're a bit more experienced, don't worry, the insights on copywriting and the tips for creating successful ads will be enough to keep you listening. We learned so much from talking to Brian, and we know you will too. :) 

  • Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Mindset, Health & Writing Life

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP94 – Interview with Monica Leonelle

    In this week's interview Shar and Trudi have to soldier on in rainy old New Zealand while Wendy and Cher continue swanning about in Orlando. Happily we managed to score a fantastic interview with the lovely Monica Leonelle who chatted to us about marketing for indie authors, and the lessons she's learned since starting out. Knowing what to write about in your newsletter or on Facebook, or even how to connect with your readers can be a big problem for writers. (I know I struggle with it!) Monica took us through some of the psychological triggers that she's come across over her years as a marketer and copywriter, and explains how you can sprinkle them into your marketing content to make it more compelling and persuasive to the reader.  This interview is filled to the brim with fantastic tips on how to amp up your connection to your readers, find new super-fans, and generally improve your ability to promote your books. Yay!  Note: There is a small echo problem in the first five minutes of this recording - but don't give up, it gets better. And you won't want to miss this content!

  • Guest Interview

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP93 – Interview with Roxanne St. Claire

    Cheryl and Wendy are still at RWA in Orlando, and this time they managed to score an interview with the wonderful Roxanne St. Claire, an uber-successful Indie author who opens up about her writing and how she's been able to create such a successful career. Roxanne started out in traditional publishing, where she learned all about the publishing process, before she made the decision to move into self publishing. These days she's fully self published, with 17 self published books under her belt to add to 30+ traditionally published books. Roxanne talks with Wendy and Cheryl about the benefits of self publishing, how she's been able to use her marketing savvy to move her career ahead, what to think about when creating series that your readers will love, and how to stand out from the crowd. This is another don't-miss episode, with multiple insights to help your writing career.

  • Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls – EP92 – Interview with Mark Dawson

    Before I say anything else, let me get this out of the way... Sqeeeeeee! We interviewed Mark Dawson! OMG! *coughs* Right. Now back to the regularly scheduled blurb about this episode... This week we have a very special episode all the way from the Romance Writers of America conference where Cheryl and Wendy just spent the week schmoozing and mingling with romance writers from all over the world. They were lucky enough to tie down...er...interview a couple of great Indie authors while they were there, and this Mark Dawson interview is the first of our RWA special episodes this week. Mark was, according to Wendy and Cher, a lovely, gracious interviewee, and despite being completely starstruck, they managed to squeeze out a fantastic episode full of great advice, tips and insider information from the great man himself. :)

  • Goal Setting, Planning & Productivity

    SPA Girls – EP91 – How to Keep Your Focus

    This week we talk about the best ways to find and keep your focus. We've talked about it in general terms before, so this time we aimed in on the mental stuff around focus, and how to avoid self sabotage in your writing career. This episode was all about crawling into our brains to understand why we do things that make us lose our focus, take us out of our 'zone' and destroy our productivity.  We talked about self awareness, ie knowing what's going on inside your head that's letting your focus go, as well as the overstimulation and desensitisation that exists in the technological world we live in, and then finally dun...dun...dun...the deathbed test. Listen in to find out what that means... :) 

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls – EP90 – Author Overwhelm Book Launch!

    This week we're launching our brand new book: Kick Author Overwhelm in the B*tt!  Instead of forcing you to listen to our overwhelm stories yet again, we invited three very talented self-published authors to talk to us about their writing careers and how they've faced and overcome Author Overwhelm in their own lives.  This week we're launching our brand new book: Kick Author Overwhelm in the B*tt!  Instead of forcing you to listen to our overwhelm stories yet again (we figured we'd talked that topic to death...), we invited three very talented self-published authors to talk to us about their writing careers and how they've faced and overcome author overwhelm in their lives.  Louisa George, Toni Kenyon and Karina Bliss kindly agreed to join us for this very special episode of the SPA Girls Podcast and opened up to us about their experiences of author overwhelm. They talk honestly about their writing, their cheerleaders, their challenges and the tricks and tips they have for helping to keep their focus on the writing and away from the overwhelm. We had heaps of fun talking to three very funny, smart and accomplished authors, and we're sure you're going to enjoy hearing their stories too. :) 

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP89 – Behind the Scenes with the SPA Girls Podcasters

    This week we decided to go a little bit behind the scenes on the SPA Girls side of things. Instead of talking about our fiction books, we talk about how the SPA Girls came about, what we were trying to achieve when we decided to start the podcast, why we're doing what we're doing and what we were hoping to achieve. We also talk about our branding, our mission statement, and why we decided to publish the Author Overwhelm book, having been podcasting now for 89 episodes! :)

  • Mindset, Health & Writing Life

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP88 – What Are Your Core Author Values?

    This week we try to nut out our own personal author values, and try to distill down a mission statement for each of us as authors. We believe that defining your core values as an author will help you make decisions in your author career, keep your focus longer, and keep you sitting down in your chair, writing those books!  We talk about the pros and cons of a mission statement, why Wendy doesn't like them, and why we think they're valuable for you as an author. We talk about what Joanna Penn and Susan Kaye Quinn say about mission statements, and go through the process of creating one for Cheryl that means something to her as an author. 

  • Mindset, Health & Writing Life

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP87 – Facing Your Fears

    This week we have a meaty topic for you! We go in-depth and take a look at our fears, the mental stuff that's stopping us from getting ahead.  We all have fears, from the rational ones that motivate us and keep us going, to the irrational fears that keep us awake at night (and me out of the swimming pool - I swear, Jaws could be in there). This episode is about recognising those fears and lessening their power over us as writers, by naming them, and focusing on ways to overcome them.  We look at the fears that have stopped or hindered us in our writing careers, how we got over them and how you can too. We also talk about the fears we still have, and the ones we wish we had!  Wendy hates this kind of episode, so if nothing else, you should listen to it just to hear her squirm... :)

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP86 – Writing in Microsoft Word

    This week we talk about the writing program no one is talking about - Microsoft Word. I'm not sure it's actually a conspiracy (wink, wink) but we thought we'd break the silence and get the word out there. (In actual fact, we think it's probably because Word is so ingrained into everything we do these days, that everyone assumes that there's no point talking about it.) However, we're pretty sure, like us, many of you are still using Word in some part of your writing process, so we decided to go through some of the tools and tips that we know about on Word, to help you upskill yourself in this wonderful, wacky Word program. From track changes to hidden characters, soft returns to right mouse clicks, we go over everything you might need! :) 

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP85 – How to Write Faster

    This week we talked about ways to speed up the production of your books, from getting your head in the right space from the get-go, to planning, scheduling and lastly ways to make sure you plain-old write faster. It's a great episode because it yet again demonstrates how we're all different and things that will work for one, won't necessarily work for another. But what we are able to do is offer a whole bunch of ideas and suggestions for practical ways that you can amp up your writing schedule. You don't have to try them all, but it will give you something to think about as you write your next book. :)

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP84 – Amazon Also Boughts, Algorithms, and Author Rankings

    This week we go through the book page on Amazon, deciphering some of the sections, explaining how each works and how the information gleaned can help you in your Indie career. From explaining the also boughts, to understanding the Amazon algorithms and how they affect you, and looking at the author rankings and understanding what they mean to you, we go through everything we know (and some stuff we realise we didn't know) and pass it on to you... :)

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP83 – Courses For Authors

    This week we run through all the self publishing author courses that we've done between us over the last few years and talk about the ones that we liked and would recommend that you could try if you're looking for a way to upskill your knowledge. As a group, some of the SPA Girls are more into courses than others, so whether you're a super keen course person, or a more reluctant starter, this episode will give the information that you need to know whether the courses are for you.

  • Guest Interview, Writing Craft & Editing

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP82 – The Black Moment Featuring Author Rachel Bailey

    Australian author and writing tutor, Rachel Bailey, joins us this week to discuss the Black Moment: that point in your story when all hope is lost, when crisis peaks, when things seem bleakest and we start to think the characters won’t be able to find their HEA. We discuss the different types of Black Moment, how to identify which one works best for your story and how to make this crucial element of Story both powerful and believable.

  • Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP81 – Interview with Jami Albright

    This week we interview the delightful Jami Albright, a new author who has just successfully launched her first book. She's done such a fantastic job of it, we wanted to get her on the show to talk about how she got into writing, how she learned to do such a great job of launching a book, and where she goes for inspiration. She's such a fantastic person, we could have chatted to her all day! Hope you enjoy the show, we sure did. :)

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP80 – Busting Self Publishing Myths

    We’re out to lunch today, recording in a café (so enjoy the ambience of the coffee machine in the background!) where we discuss all those myths about writing and publishing. Some we’ve fallen prey to; some we’ve debunked through experience. You need to know everything about your story and characters before you can start writing. There’s a lot more you need to be doing as a self publisher. You’ll never “make it” without a big platform or great contacts. Sound familiar? Yeah, we’ve all heard them. And a lot more besides! But there is more than one path to writing success, and there’s no such thing as a magic bullet or “secret sauce” – so join us in the café and let’s do some mythbusting together!

  • Writing Craft & Editing

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP79 – How To Write Dazzling Dialogue

    Writing dialogue is a very difficult skill to master, but this week we try to unravel some of the secrets around how to create dazzling dialogue for your characters. More than just a transcription of what people actually say, dialogue can be witty, fast paced and give insights into your characters... or it can be stilted, awkward and boring. Which would you rather have? Listen in to this episode for our take on the best ways to create dialogue that will make your manuscript sing!

  • Writing Craft & Editing

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP78 – How To End With A BANG!

    We did beginnings last week, so we thought we'd pay tribute to endings this time around... :) Many authors rush through the ending of their book, because by the time they get there, they're sick of the whole concept... But your ending is what will lead readers onto your next book, so you need to spend as much time on your ending as your beginning! If you write a fizzer that ends too quickly or doesn't deliver on your promises throughout the story, you're not going to get lifetime readers who follow your every move. With this in mind, we talk about chapter endings, and endings for the whole book. We give some ideas on what we do to make sure our endings are as good as we can make them, and give a few tips and tricks on creating the best ending you can!

  • Writing Craft & Editing

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP77 – Great Beginnings for Authors

    Easter is here, a time for new beginnings, so we thought we'd talk about the beginning of your book. It's always been important, but we would argue that in the days of ebooks for less than the cost of a coffee, creating a kick-ass beginning that will hook your readers into your book is VITAL! We read out a few of our favourite beginnings, plus some that are less beloved, and talk through what makes them great (or not). There are also some suggestions for the different types of beginnings you might want to try, and how to link it in to the rest of your story. If you're wondering whether the beginning of your book is as good as it can be, listen to this episode for some of the tips and tricks that we use.

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP76 – First Quarter Goals

    This week we sit down and talk through our self publishing goals for the first quarter, and how we've been going with our writing. It's a bit of a mixed bag, with some of us having achieved our goals and others not so much. But there's always something to learn from our highs and lows, especially how to recalibrate your writing and marketing goals when things happen outside of your control, and how to keep yourself going when times get tough!

  • Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP75 – Writing A Kick-Butt Book Blurb with Glenna Mageau

    This week we have a very special guest - Glenna Mageau, book blurb coach and writer extraordinaire - who takes us through how to write a blurb that sells more books. Glenna has a proven system she uses to improve her own book blurbs and she's been teaching other authors how to do the same thing as well. This is a fantastic episode - we really enjoyed chatting to Glenna, she's a lovely lady with a wealth of knowledge. We all picked up loads of useful blurb writing tips and we're sure you will too!

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP74 – Formatting Tips and Tricks

    This week we tackle the topic of formatting your ebooks. We talk about the difference between outsourcing the formatting and doing it yourself, and the pros and cons of each option. Then we talk about what we've done in the past and how we do it now, what we think are the best practices, the programs that we recommend, and why we like them. If you're about to start formatting, or even considering a change to the way you're currently doing it, this is a great episode to listen to!

  • Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP73 – Zhushing Up Your Amazon Author Page

    Publishing your book to Amazon KDP is the first step ... then the second VERY important step is setting up your Amazon Author Central account and optimizing your Amazon Author Page. Too many new self-publishers miss the second step and it's costing them sales! It's easy and it's free, so listen up and we'll share how to ZHUSH up your Amazon Author Page to make it sparkle!

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP72 – Author Overwhelm

    This week we talk about a subject dear to our hearts - author overwhelm. It's so easy to become overwhelmed in this digital age, with everything that we are bombarded with and told we "have to" do to succeed as a self published author. This episode we talk you through the tips and tricks we use to help us work through the overwhelm and keep writing. It's another fun episode, the SPA Girls were together in person this week, so we had a laugh as usual...

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP71 – 10 Marketing Tips for Beginners

    This week we talk through the basic marketing principles that you need to make sure you've got in place for promoting your books. Think of it as a 101 class in marketing, just for you. :) We talk through tips like ensuring consistency of brand, having the right kind of bio and blurb, and being professional.

  • Goal Setting, Planning & Productivity

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP70 – Productivity Hacks for Writers

    This week we give some of our best writer productivity hacks - ie a big ole list of tips to increase your productivity, based on things that we do each week to help us write more! From exercise tips and the best writing apps to use, to setting routines and ways to stay in the flow, we give you the best tips that we could find to help keep you writing!

  • Mindset, Health & Writing Life

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP69 – Top Ten Romance Novels of All Time

    In honour of Valentine's Day, the SPA Girls fought it out to come up with our list of the Best Romance Novels of All Time. Listen to this episode to see if you agree with our choices... :)

  • Mindset, Health & Writing Life

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP68 – Etiquette for Authors

    This week we decided to talk about etiquette for authors; or how to talk to other authors, your fans and your service providers, especially online. It's really easy to get carried away, to start acting badly in the online space, and we wanted to give you a few tips on how to keep your online relationships strong and healthy. It's all about treating people as you would like to be treated yourself - a good mantra to use everywhere in your life. :)

  • Writing Craft & Editing

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP67 – Common Writing Mistakes and How to Fix Them

    Wendy, Cheryl and Trudi talk through some common writing mistakes and give suggestions for how to avoid making them yourself. Based around Jack Bickham's book, The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes, we talk on topics from not making excuses, lecturing your readers, dropping alligators through the transom (don't worry, we figure that one out), stopping too soon, giving up and not just sitting there.

  • Writing Craft & Editing

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP66 – The Book of Your Heart Vs Writing to Market

    This week we talk about writing the book of your heart versus writing a book to market. What do these terms mean, and why should they matter to you? Writing the book of your heart means writing what you love, the book you've been dreaming about for your entire life, with the characters who feel like they're your best friends and the storyline that is going to rock the world. You know, that book. Writing to market is about researching the genres that are selling, finding out what the most popular tropes are and finding a storyline that you feel fits into the research you've been doing, and then writing that book. It could be a book you love, but that isn't always the case.

  • Guest Interview

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP65 – Interview with Zoe York

    This week we were lucky enough to talk to Zoe York, USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of contemporary romance, and all around lovely lady. She gave us some fantastic tips on writing in series, including craft considerations, marketing ideas, and some best practice tips for making it work. Zoe really knows her stuff, so it's yet another don't-miss episode!

  • Goal Setting, Planning & Productivity

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP64 – Goals for 2017

    This week we get the show number wrong, yet again, and the sound quality is a little bit off, but we still manage to get out an episode talking about our goals for 2017 and how we're going to achieve them. It's a fun, motivational episode that will get you started thinking about your self publishing goals, and how you're going to make them happen in 2017!

  • Writing Craft & Editing

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP63 – Interview with Kathryn Burnett

    This week we talk to screenwriter Kathryn Burnett about planning writing projects, as well as setting goals as an author and keeping them - just in time for the start of the year. We went to a fantastic workshop (on creativity and how to keep it flowing) given by Kathryn at the 2016 RWNZ conference, which is why we thought it would be a great idea to get her onto the show. It was a fun interview; Kathryn gives a heap of valuable information for organising new projects and making sure you stay on track, plus she has some really interesting stories about how she got into screenwriting, and the kind of work she does now for clients.

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP62 – Christmas 2016 Special Episode

    This week we come to you live from our local cafe as we eat, drink and be merry, and discuss the highs and lows of self publishing in 2016. We call it our Hit, Miss and Maybe list, and we talk through the things that worked, the things that definitely didn't work, and the things we might try again to see if they work better a second time. It's a great episode, we give some of our top tips from the last 12 months, and spread a little Christmas cheer! Merry Christmas, and a happy New Year! xx

  • Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Mindset, Health & Writing Life

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP61 – Interview with Joanna Penn

    This week we had the honour of interviewing the one and only... Joanna Penn! She's a best-selling author, an international speaker, a podcaster, and a trainer, and one of our role models in this industry. We were super-excited to have her on the show, and she didn't disappoint. She gave us a huge amount of self publishing advice in this information-packed episode - making it an episode that you don't want to miss!

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP60 – Interview With An Editor

    This week we talk to Olivia Ventura from Hot Tree Edits about being a full time editor. She was a fantastic person to interview, and gave great advice on how to work with editors and how to find someone who will do the kind of edit you want for your book. She talks about the most common grammar mistakes that authors make, how to do edits on your own in preparation for sending your manuscript to an editor, and some best practice ideas for making sure your book is as tight as you can make it.

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP59 – Answering Listener Questions

    This week Wendy, Cheryl and Shar tackled some of the questions we've been getting from eager listeners to the show. The team were without me (Trudi) because I was off celebrating my 10th wedding anniversary, but it's good to know that they can manage to pull together a show without me... :) The topics covered included how to keeping writing when you have a family, how to find the right editor, and what to do if you hate social media (hint: it's not throwing out your computer).

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP58 – Writing for a Kindle World

    This week it was just Shar, Cheryl and Trudi, and we talked about writing and publishing a book in an Amazon Kindle World. Cheryl has just published her second book in the Laguna Beach Kindle World and she gives us the inside story on how it works - plus the benefits and the issues around writing in a Kindle World.

  • Mindset, Health & Writing Life

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP57 – Dealing With Distractions At Christmas

    This week Wendy, Cher and Trudi talk about dealing with unavoidable distractions, and how to maintain a writing schedule even when things get busy. With Christmas coming up we thought we'd talk about how we personally keep going when it seems that everything in the world is out to stop you writing the next book. It's a great reminder that we're all different and we all deal with distractions and problems in our lives differently, and however you deal with them, as long as you're still progressing forward, it's okay.

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP56 – Top Ten Mistakes Self Publishers Make

    I don't actually know how many mistakes we covered in this episode, but I thought that title sounded great. :) But we definitely do go in-depth on all the terrible, dastardly, embarrassing mistakes that we've made in the process of self publishing our books. From not getting our books properly edited and rushing through the process of publishing and putting our books up before we should have, to not being organised enough, to not knowing and understanding our genres - we've done it all! Don't make the same mistakes that we have - listen to this episode and find out how to avoid them all!

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP55 – Launching a Non-Fiction Book

    This week we talk about the launch of a project dear to our hearts - our new non-fiction book about author overwhelm. We've been working on this project for a while, and we're really excited about bringing it to you. It's something we've all experienced, and we don't think people talk about it enough, so we've decided to put it out there in book form! This episode we talk about the book, what it involves, and what we're going to do over the next three months before the launch to try and make it a success. One of the big aspects to this launch process is the expansion of our mailing list. We made a goal of getting 1,000 people onto our mailing list by end of February 2017, and we brainstorm some of the techniques we're planning to use to get our numbers up. Join us on the journey, and go sign up to our mailing list!

  • Guest Interview

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP54 – Writing Advice From the Trenches

    This week the SPA Girls chat to three experienced authors - two Indie authors, and one traditionally published author - about their writing tips, their favourite technology as a writer, and why they all say you need to find your writing tribe to succeed. Join us as we get the inside story from contemporary romance author Talia Hunter, pacific billionaire romance author Toni Kenyon, and author of 35 Harlequin romances Yvonne Lindsay in this hilarious, informative, and insightful episode into the life of an author. If you don't come away from listening to this episode with a grin on your face, I'll eat my hat.

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP53 – How to Do a Successful Book Launch

    This week we're all back! The SPA Girls are reunited again, and we're on fire with useful and relevant information for you as a self published author. We talk about launching your latest book into the marketplace, and the do's and don'ts, plus tips and tricks that you might want to try out when you're publishing your novel to get some of those golden sales... From when to put the books up, what to price them at, what kind of advertising to do, and when to use your social media and your mailing list, we cover it all in this episode for you. Just listen and take loads of notes! :)

  • Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP52 – Interview with Kelly McClymer

    This week we're joined by the lovely Kelly McClymer, an indie author who writes in multiple genres, including historical romance, fantasy and cosy mystery. She tells us the story of how she got into self publishing, the kind of marketing and promotion she does for her books, and talks about what she's been doing in the last week or so in an attempt to get her book onto the USA Today Bestseller list, for her historical romance book, The Next Best Bride. This is a fantastic interview with another smart, savvy indie author!

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP51 – Characters Your Readers Will Love

    This week we crawled out from our sick beds to provide you with this delayed episode of the SPA Girls Podcast. We managed to talk semi-coherently about creating amazing characters that your readers will love. As far as we're concerned, it's all about creating characters with flaws, who your readers can relate to and fall in love with through the course of the story. We gave away all our secrets, so that you can learn to write the best characters you possibly can.

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP50 – Celebrating a Half-Century of Episodes

    This week we celebrate the 50th episode of the SPA Girls Podcast! We're pleased as punch that we made it this far, and we hope we'll make it to another 50! We talked about what's changed for us in the last year, where we are at in our careers, and the highs and the lows of a year in self publishing. A kind of retrospective on what we've learned, what we've seen, and what we think about it all.

  • Guest Interview

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP49 – Interview with Tracey Alvarez

    This week we're still without the lovely Cheryl, so we decided to do another interview, this time with Tracey Alvarez, who lives in Wellington, New Zealand and writes contemporary romance based in New Zealand. I (Trudi Jaye) met Tracey in person at RWA in San Diego this year, and had a great time hanging out with her and Talia Hunter. As you'll see from the interview, Tracey is also a very knowledgeable indie author, with heaps of pro tips to share. This is another 'don't-miss' episode!

  • Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Mindset, Health & Writing Life

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP48 – Interview with Steffanie Holmes

    This week we interview paranormal romance author Steff Green, who writes as Steffanie Holmes and fantasy as SC Green. Steff was a speaker at the recent RWNZ conference and we were keen to get her on the podcast to give us the inside information on her self publishing career. She was a fantastic guest, and talked to us about her journey toward self publishing, and some of the ways that she's been able to make self publishing work for her, including topics like box sets, writing in series, and cliffhangers.

  • Guest Interview

    SPA Girls – BONUS Episode – RWNZ16 short interviews

    This is another bonus episode from the SPA Girls - a collection of three short interviews that we did at the RWNZ16 conference in Auckland, New Zealand. Firstly bestselling author Heather Graham talks about how she wants to take us all home with her (we didn't say no...); agent Courtney Miller-Callihan gives a few tips on the kind of books she likes best; and the incomparable Michael Hauge talks about how to create a story that works.

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP46 – Should I Write a Series?

    This week I (Trudi Jaye) was away, so against my better judgement, I let the other three do the podcast without me. Surprisingly, against all expectations, they managed to do an episode that was moderately okay. :) Don't miss this episode as Wendy, Cher, and Shar talk about writing in series - why you would do it, what it involves, how to remember all the characters, and some hot tips on marketing your series.

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP45 – RWNZ conference indepth

    This week we had a huge amount of fun talking about the RWNZ conference that we just had here in New Zealand. With an all-star international line up including Hollywood Script Consultant Michael Hauge, multi-award winning author Heather Graham, Australian Superstar Rachel Bailey, Scriptwriting Extraordinaire Kathryn Burnett, Self-Publishing Gurus Leeanna Morgan and Steff Green plus many more, we had a whole heap to discuss. We break down Michael Hauge's amazing story structure ideas, discuss regency dancing, and talk about why conferences are so amazing. It's a fun episode, and we hope you enjoy it! :)

  • Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales

    SPA Girls – EP44 – Conference episode with Leeanna Morgan

    This week we bring you a special episode direct from the Romance Writers of New Zealand conference in Auckland, New Zealand. Wendy Vella and Trudi Jaye snuck out of the workshops, grabbed the incredibly talented Leanna Morgan along the way and hid out in one of the conference rooms, making her spill her guts on her self publishing career. And boy, does she deliver. This is a must listen episode for our listeners - Leanna knows what she's talking about. :)

  • Guest Interview, Mindset, Health & Writing Life

    BONUS EPISODE – Trudi Jaye and Talia Hunter at RWA

    This is a special bonus episode of the SPA Girls Podcast, hosted by Trudi Jaye and Talia Hunter and recorded live at RWA in San Diego. We recorded this little snippet on our last day in an attempt to give SPA Girls listeners a sense of what it was like to attend the conference. At the start of the recording we're joined by Allyson, a Harlequin editor that we harangued into joining us in the recording. :) We talk about some of the workshops that we attended, the people we met, and what we learned while we were there. I hope you enjoy it!

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP43 – Great Covers And How To Get One

    This week we talk about covers for ebooks. We've mentioned self publishing covers in passing on previous episodes, but this week we put the microscope to the topic and try to work out what makes them great. We talk about our experiences on our own covers, the changes we've made along the way, and why we've made them. We also discuss how to work with a designer, how to decide what you should put on your cover, and what your readers want from your cover. And finally, we talk about the idea that sometimes the cover you love isn't the one that's going to sell your book, and you need to put aside your fragile writer's ego, and go for the one that's most suitable to the type of book you've written.

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP42 – Surviving Writers Conferences

    This week we talk about our experiences (all family-friendly) at writers conferences and give tips on how to get the most out of conferences (aka overcome the sudden urge to hide behind a large pot plant and not talk to anybody). In a cunning plot twist, we got confused at the intro and said this was episode 41 (instead of 42). Our excuse? Too much heat in the SPA!

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP 41 – Content For Your Facebook Page

    This week's episode talks about what to post on your Author Facebook page to keep fans engaged and coming back for more! We've all experimented with different kinds of posts - from thoughtful quotes through to "let it all hang out" videos, and have been surprised at what's worked best! Facebook can be an author's friend, but it's also a beast that needs constant feeding. Hopefully you'll get some "feeding tips" from us this week!

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP40 – Getting Your Pacing Right

    This week we talked about tips and tricks to keep the pace of your novel moving at the right speed, all the way to the high impact ending. We each talk about the tricks we use to make the pace of our novels work for our readers. We talk about genre and how it affects pacing, also things like sentence structure, word sound, chapter length, and other methods you can use to keep your pacing fast or slow. It's all about creating the right rhythm for your novel, so that your reader follows you through to the end. :)

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP39 – Finding Focus as an Author

    This week we decided to bring back the challenge episodes. It's the middle of winter here in New Zealand - it's cold and wet and dreary, and we're all feeling a little frustrated with where we're at. So we decided to talk about finding our focus again and pushing forward in our writing careers. We all talk through the issues that we're each having, from changing family schedules, to slipping in our usual writing and marketing routines or recovering from illness. And then we talk through the plans we have to solve some of these issues and get ourselves back on the track that we're aiming for.

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP38 – Writing Good Sex Scenes

    This week we decided to talk about Wendy's favourite subject - sex! :) Just kidding, it's the favourite topic of all the SPA Girls... When you're writing romance, there will generally be some form the physical activity that happens when people fall in love. ie Sex. The different genres have different heat levels, and it's partially about knowing the conventions of your genre, but also about knowing what you're comfortable with personally. This week we talked through what each of us personally is comfortable with, what we like when we read other romance books, and how to write a sex scene that will knock the socks off your readers. I hope you enjoy it! FAIR WARNING: The language in this episode is a little grittier than we normally go for, sorry about that. If you're not keen on bad language and talk of genitalia, you might want to skip this episode (we're pretty tame, really, but just in case...).

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP37 – Intro to Twitter

    In episode 37 we were all together in person again and we talked about Twitter. It's probably the second most popular social media platform after Facebook, and it's definitely one worth investigating. We give some basics on the platform, how to get started, what some of the jargon means, and a few tips on the best ways to build up an audience and connect with others on the platform. It's probably more of a networking opportunity than somewhere that you will make a huge number of books sales, but it's a fun way to connect with readers, authors, publishers and other industry folk.

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP36 – Help! What Do I Write in My Newsletter?!

    This week is episode number 36 and we decided to talk a little more indepth about the kind of content you might provide in your newsletter for your subscribers. They've signed up to your list, now what? It's all very well being told that you need to write to your email subscribers regularly - but what on Earth do you write to them about? Your latest doctor's appointment? Which politicians you hate most? NO! That'll just get you a nice high UNSUBSCRIBE rate. This week we give you a whole bunch of ideas on the best way to connect with your readers, how to keep them engaged and interested in you and your books, and how to figure out what they will be most interested in reading about. Enjoy!

  • Writing Craft & Editing

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP35 – A Great Hook for Your Book

    This week we're up to episode number 35, and we talked about brainstorming your next novel. We each talked about how we do it, the kind of methods we use and what we recommend for people wanting to create a solid book idea. At the end we decided to do an impromptu session where we actually brainstorm a brand new novel together. It was a huge laugh, and we hope it's both entertaining and helpful to you when you start planning your next novel.... :)

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP34 – How Do I Get Reviews?

    This week - episode 34 - we talked about reviews - what they are, why you need them, and how you might go about getting some more! The best thing about Amazon is the ability to leave reviews and to gather momentum for your books through word of mouth, and we love them for it. Even better, they're pretty good at trying to make sure those reviews are legitimate reviews, rather than people trying to game the system (and okay, there will always be peeps trying to game the system, but at least they're trying).

  • Marketing, Advertising & Sales

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP32 – Getting The Price Right

    In this week's episode we tackle the always-changing topic of pricing in self publishing. It's a biggie, and it's sometimes hard to distill this one down, especially because most people who are new to self publishing just want those who are older and wiser (haha) to just say - "You must do it this way!" Unfortunately there is no "one true path" for pricing, especially given the vast array of differing goals and aims of authors, and the constantly changing nature of the industry. What worked two years ago won't necessarily work now. We suggest that you research the price of other books similar to your own (in genre, length etc), and then determine what your overall strategy is for the launch (eg discoverability vs sales), before you decide what to price your book at. The main thing to remember is that you can always change it later if you decide you've done it wrong. That's the best thing about self publishing, you can test and experiment to find out what works best for you!

  • Writing Craft & Editing

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP31 – Self Editing for Self Publishers

    This week, in lucky number 31, we talk about self editing - what we all do, the kind of techniques and strategies that we use to make sure we don't make mistakes in our work, and how we work in with professional editors to make sure we catch as many of the mistakes in our work that we can. And that's a very valid point - no matter how good you think you are, you will ALWAYS miss something in your own work, which is why it's vital to get outside people looking at your work as well as editing it yourself. Don't miss another fascinating episode of the SPA Girls!

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP30 – Self Publishing Resources

    This week we talk about our favourite self publishing resources to help make your writing life just a bit easier. From writing tools like Scrivener and writeordie.com to editing support with grammarly.com or the best courses on Udemy and CreativeLive.com, we've packed this episode full of information for self publishers!

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP29 – The Ingredients For a Delicious Novel

    This week we went with a baking theme, and talked about the ingredients that we think are most important when 'cooking' a novel. This wasn't an exhaustive list, just a few of the things we think you should work on first, to make sure your novel is going to be the best it can be. We know most about, and are most focused on, the romance genre, so it's a multi-layered Black Forest chocolate gateau cake. Just saying. But for anyone who's interested in a little bit of help with writing craft, listen in to our discussion of the most important ingredients...

  • Writing Craft & Editing

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP28 – Where Do Ideas Come From?

    This week we thought we'd take a quick detour into ideas-land to answer the most common question that writers get - where do your ideas come from? If you're feeling lost or lacking in inspiration, just pinch a few of our ideas for gathering new stories and get going!

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP27 – Self Publishing Trends

    This week we're without the delightful Wendy Vella (who is off on a romantic holiday in an exotic location for her daughter's wedding), but we managed to put an exciting episode together anyway. We're talking about some of the more recent self-publishing trends that we've noticed (and some that aren't so recent, but are still relevant) and how you might be able to use them to your advantage.

  • Mindset, Health & Writing Life

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP26 – Exercise Challenge

    This week in episode 26 we talk about exercise! It's a challenge episode, so we mentioned it a few weeks ago, and challenged ourselves to put more exercise into our daily routine. This is the show where we talk about what we did, how we did it, and what we learned about exercise and the writer's mind (and body). As a writer, you probably spend the majority of your day sitting down - and all we can say is... DON'T! The latest research shows that sitting down all day at work - even if you're not overweight and exercise every day - can be just as detrimental to your health as eating fried food and never exercising. Listen to this episode to find out more about it, and what you can do to ensure you're not at risk.

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP25 – All About Amazon – PART TWO

    It's episode number 25, and we're talking about Amazon again this week. It's the second in our two-part Amazon special, and this episode we walk you through the process of loading a book onto Amazon.com. We go through each of the sections and tell you what we do/answer for each one. If you've never put a book up on Amazon (or even if you have) this should help you as you as you go through the process. We give tips and advice on the best way to answer the various sections, how to find the best keywords, and what categories you should be in. It's an information packed episode, so be sure to take notes!

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP24 – All About Amazon

    It's the episode you've all been waiting for... This week, in lucky episode 24 (I love that number, it's my date of birth), we talk all about the retail site Amazon. It's the first of two episodes on Amazon, and this week we start by giving a bit of an overview of Amazon's history, what they do, and how they came to be such a powerhouse retail site. Then we talk about Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) where indie authors load up their books, the pros and cons of KDP Select, talk about Kindle Unlimited (KU), and how to use Author Central.

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP23 – Dealing with Author Overwhelm

    Welcome to episode 23 of the SPA Girls podcast. This episode we're talking about Author Overwhelm, one of those insidious blockages sent to distract us as authors. When you've got so much on, and so many things that you're trying to do, and it's making you feel panicky and frustrated - to the point where you're not actually doing anything useful at all... that's author overwhelm. We've focused on giving practical tips on what we do when author overwhelm hits, how we keep going through the tough times, and what we do to try and avoid author overwhelm in the first place! I hope you enjoy it, it's a great episode!

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP22 – Pre-Publication Checklist (Part Two)

    Welcome to episode 22, and the second in our pre-publication special episodes. In these two informative sessions, we talk in depth about the things you need to take into account before you hit publish on your self-published book. This episode we talk about things like formatting, categories, key words, book descriptions, covers, pricing and your title/subtitle of your book.

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP021 – Pre-Publication Checklist (Part One)

    We're officially 21! Well, at least 21 episodes into the SPA Girls Podcast... This week we dive into some really meaty content - it's the first of a two part series on what you'll need to have organised before you publish your book onto the various retail platforms. This first episode talks about tax numbers (ITIN and EIN etc) and whether you need them, ISBN numbers (what they are, and why you might choose to get one), copyright for your books, bank accounts and accountants, pen names, and front and back matter in your book.

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP20 – Find Your Tribe Challenge

    This week it's a challenge episode, and we talk about the ways we decided to meet new people - preferably other authors who could help with the self publishing process. We all found ways to get into Facebook groups, Google + hangouts, and forums and online groups. Listen in and find out how you can find the kind of people who will support you through the ups and downs of the self publishing process.

  • Guest Interview

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP019 – Interview with Trudi Jaye

    This week we're up to episode 19, and it's an interview with paranormal romance author Trudi Jaye, yet another member of the SPA Girls.

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP018 – The Right Mental Attitude for Self Publishing

    Welcome to the 18th episode of the SPA Girls Podcast. This week we delve into the fascinating topic of the mental attitude you'll need to succeed as a self publisher. It's not a matter of just posting your book up on Amazon and waiting for the money to roll in... You'll need a few things like grit and determination to see you through to the end result that you're aiming for.

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP017 – Setting Goals for Success

    Thanks for joining us for episode number seventeen! We're at the time of the year where we like to set some goals for the year, and we decided to sit down and discuss how we do it; things like the kind of goals we like to set, how many we set, and the things we've done to make our goals work for us.

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP016 – Where Will You Self Publish?

    Welcome to episode 16 of the SPA Girls podcast. I hope the new year is treating you well, and you're excited and motivated to make this year your best one yet! In this episode we talk about a few of the different sites where you can put up your books once they're finished and ready to go.

  • Mindset, Health & Writing Life

    SPA Girls Podcast – Christmas 2015 episode

    It's our Christmas episode, and we're hanging out at our favourite restaurant, chatting about our year, and talking about what we hope to achieve in 2016. Join us for this celebration of all the goodness in 2015, and the greatness that will be 2016!

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP014 – Websites for Authors

    This week we talked about author websites and why it's vital for self publishing authors to have one, despite the naysayers (mostly from traditional publishers who don't see the point). We talk about what you should include on your website, the kind of content you should be writing, and the style of writing you should use on the web. We also talk a little bit about the technical aspects of setting up a website.

  • Guest Interview

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP013 – Author Interview with Cheryl Phipps

    This week was lucky thirteen, so we decided to do an interview... with one of our own. The lovely Cheryl Phipps talks about her writing journey, from right back when the kids were little, to now, with eight books published, and more on the way! Cheryl's the wise member of the group, so be sure to listen in and get some self-publishing and writing gems!

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP012 – Genre Break Down Challenge

    This week's episode is number twelve - that's right, we made it to three months! This episode was a challenge episode, and we each talked about the research we'd done on our particular genres - Trudi looked into the genre conventions of Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy (with a little bit of comparison between them along the way), Cheryl investigated Chick Lit and what makes it so good, Wendy waxed lyrical on the conventions of Historical Romance, and Shar rounded it all out by telling us about Contemporary Romance.

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP011 – All About Covers

    Welcome to the 11th episode of the SPA Girls Podcast! This week we're talking covers. It's a massive subject, and we've tried to cover the basics in this show. Having a really good cover in this crowded marketplace is a must-do. Not just a good cover, but the right cover for your book, and your genre. This will take time and research on your part, but it's time well spent in your self publishing journey. Basically, in a nutshell - don't try to do it by yourself! Hire a professional cover designer (not your next door neighbour's kid) who knows and understands the industry to create a cover for you.

  • Writing Craft & Editing

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP010 – Editing for Indies

    Thanks for joining us for episode number 10 of the SPA Girls Podcast! We made it to double digits! This week we talk about a really important topic for self published authors - editing. What it is, why it's important, the kinds of mistakes we've made along the way and who you can get to help you through the process. Don't miss this vital episode!

  • Guest Interview

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP09 – Interview With Author Toni Kenyon!

    This week's episode was a huge amount of fun for us... We did our first ever proper interview (if you don't count the one we did with SPA Girl Wendy Vella) with author Toni Kenyon! Toni was a delight to have on the show, and she was a wealth of information on being a self publishing author

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP08 – Finding Your Tribe

    For the eighth episode of the SPA Girls podcast we talk about finding your tribe. But what if you're shy? No problem! We give ideas, advice and actual resources for a wide range of places you can go to meet other authors and discuss writing and self publishing.

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP07 – Overview Of The Self-Publishing Process

    Today, we give you an overview of the whole self publishing process from start to finish!

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP06 – Successful Self-Publishers’ Challenge

    We all think it's important to have someone you aspire to be like in any career, and self publishing is no different, so we set the challenge in episode one to research someone who is successfully managing a self publishing career. Today we report back on our own personal self-publishing heroes: Joanna Penn, Courtney Milan, Lindsay Buroker and Marie Force!

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP05 – What Is Genre?

    This episode is all about genre - what it is, why you should know about it, and what it means to you as a self publishing author. There are certain conventions in every genre - especially in romance. No happily ever after? Then it's not romance, and your readers are going to be disappointed! This is why it's important to know your genre. Listen on for details ...

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP04 – Facebook For Beginners

    Love it or hate it, facebook is THE place to be for romance authors wanting to extend their platform and talk to new readers. We talk about why you should be on there, the difference between a profile and a page, and get the hard word on the do's and don'ts of facebook.

  • Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP03 – Interview With Author Wendy Vella

    This week we have an interview with one of our own - SPA Girl member Wendy Vella. Wendy has been self publishing since 2013, and she now has 14 titles and has been included in three box sets. She's sold over 100,000 copies of her books, and at the beginning of this year took the plunge and went full time as an indie author. We interview her on her road to success, where and when she writes, and what it took to make it all happen.

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP02 – Finding The Time To Write

    Do you want to write, but struggle to find the time in your busy schedule? In this episode we offer some ideas, suggestions and practical tips on how to make it happen!

  • Self-Publishing Process & Tools

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP01 – Introducing The SPA Girls

    We're four New Zealand-based romance authors, who are trying out self publishing online through stores like Amazon, Kobo and iBooks, and we want to give you a few of the tips, tricks and tales of the things we've learned along the way. Designed with the newbie in mind, we take you from the very beginning, answering those questions you were too embarrassed to ask - basically helping you to avoid the mistakes and pitfalls that we (sometimes) fell into. Thanks for joining us!

The SPA Girls Podcast (SPA = Self Publishing Authors) stands as a trailblazing force in the publishing industry, captivating audiences worldwide since its inception in 2015. Crafted by four dedicated full-time New Zealand authors, the free weekly podcast delivers honest advice, expert interviews and actionable strategies for indie authors at all stages of their career.

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  • Join at the $10 tier, and you'll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions.
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